Old Harry's Game

Old Harry's Game

Old Harry's Game is a UK radio comedy written and directed by Andy Hamilton, who also plays the cynical, world-weary (or rather, underworld-weary) Satan. "Old Harry" is one of many names for the devil. The show's title is a humorous play on the title of the 1982 TV series Harry's Game.

Beginning in 1995, four series, of six half-hour episodes each, were aired by 2001, and a two-part Christmas special followed in 2002. A fifth full series was frequently delayed because of a cast member's illness, but recording of the four episodes of series five took place in April 2005 (postponed from January). The first episode of that series was broadcast on 20 September 2005 on BBC Radio 4. James Grout (the Professor during the first four series) did not take part. Series 6 (comprising a further six episodes) began on BBC Radio 4 on 27 September 2007, and Series 7 aired on BBC Radio 4 in 2009. A Christmas special was broadcast in two parts on 23 and 30 December 2010, and an Olympics special on 12 and 19 July 2012.

An animated version is currently in development by the UK animation house Flickerpix. It will be using claymation. It is slated to be aired at the Northwest Animation Festival in September 2012.

Apart from series 3 and 4, the episodes were not given official titles.

One notable point regarding casting for the series. Andy Hamilton (Satan), Robert Duncan (Scumspawn), and David Swift (God) had all worked together previously, in the UK television comedy series Drop the Dead Donkey between 1990 and 1998, which had been co-written by Hamilton. Both of the latter were written into the 1998 series by Hamilton when the run of Donkey ended that year.